Drowning in Blood
by DarkNinja1994
Summary: Three years after her kidnapping, Mari has internally become a bloodlusting, psychotic shell of who she used to be, but only Justin can see through the mask she bears. Will he stop her before she takes her revenge on him?
1. If You Only Knew

**NOTE:** So this is my first Fanfic in about… 3 years? I forgot how much I liked writing them. :) Yeah, so anyway, this may not be totally up to par since it has been so long, and I've been busy with stuff. Anyway, enjoy.

**Chapter 1: If You Only Knew**

Mari stood at the window, lips parted slightly, and let her eyes, which had long since been stricken with the coldness of social isolation, fall to the garden that lay outside. John, her father, was on his knees, ridding the fruitful dirt of the wicked weeds that wished to suffocate the tomatoes that had recently been planted. Mari was a tomato. In her mind, Krug was still out to get her, still out to smite her in the cruel way he'd murdered Paige. It was only a matter of time before he figured out where she was and…

"Mari?" Mari screamed as a hand latched onto her shoulder, interrupting her train of thought. Instinctively, she panicked and wrenched away, kicking backwards as she struggled to escape. Darting to the corner and breathing heavily, only then did Mari realize it was only her mother. Emma had backed off towards the opposing wall and looked frightfully at her daughter.

"Mari, I'm sorry… I spoke to you when I first came in, I thought you heard me. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you like that." Emma slowly advanced across the room and wrapped her arms around Mari, who immediately became rigid to the touch of another human's flesh.

"I'm sorry. I just came in to tell you…" Emma's words were lost upon her daughter, who once again, began to zone out. Since her attack three years ago, Mari Collingwood's bad days gradually began to outnumber her good ones, and this was certainly one of the bad ones. Mari's good days included her willingness to speak, though the words were few, and often consisted only of short greetings and small talk with no eye contact. She would work in the garden with either of her parents, and sit outside, as long as someone was with her. Mari was never alone unless she was inside, and even then, her parents were customarily in the next room. During her bad days, she hardly spoke a word, and instead stayed in her room, sitting on her bed with her knees tucked up under her chin. In three years, Mari had lost her youth; now she was an emotionless statue, still and hard as stone.

"Hey, girls!" John entered Mari's room, still dawning his dirt covered gardening gloves.

"Oh, John!" Emma exclaimed. "I wish you would've taken those gloves off outside; they're filthy! And I just vacuumed too. I really would prefer not to do it again." John sighed, pulled off the gloves, and shoved him into his pocket.

"What I was _going_ to say was that Mari's birthday is coming up and we should plan a party of some sort." John put a loving hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Doesn't that sound like fun, Mari?" Mari's cold, unfeeling eyes drifted from the corner of the room to meet her father's.

"_Birthday?" _Mari though to herself. _"My birthday?"_ It proved to be harder and harder with each passing day to keep track of time in her world which seemed to have no sense of time at all. Mari's birthday was July 14 and she could've sworn it was March. This birthday would commemorate her 19th year on this godless earth, a day that she lost all hope of seeing three years ago when she laid in the mud outside the lake house, covered in her own blood from her bullet wound, in the cold, relentless rain, praying for the sweet release of Death, which never seemed to come. After living in Life's house for 16 years, she had waltzed straight up to the picket fence which divided the property between Life and Death. Death had stood on the other side, beckoning her to come and play on his side for a while and made it look oh so tempting. But Life had unbreakable shackles around her ankles and would not permit her to leave. She was life's prisoner.

Mari broke herself from her trance and nodded yes to her father's question.

"A party… might be nice," she slowly muttered.

"That's great, Sweetheart." John kissed his daughter's forehead before returning to his garden work. Emma soon followed. When they were gone, Mari's gaze returned to the window and the world just beyond the glass.

A familiar beat up, dark blue pickup pulled into the driveway. Mari's knees locked as the owner of the truck stepped out. As his slightly worn white tennis shoes stepped onto the gravel driveway, he ran a hand through his thick black hair. She hated him, and somehow she could not look away. He shot a glance up towards her window; her icy blue eyes met his mesmerizing sapphires. It was only after that moment that she was able to turn away from the window and press her back against the wall, and then proceeded to sink to the floor. Mari despised him with every inch of her soul, and yet something about him drew her to him. There was some sort of connection between them, and Mari had made it her life's ambition to destroy it, not matter what the cost.

Meanwhile,

"I think she may be getting better," Emma told John, who was once again on his knees pulling weeds. She leaned against the white siding of the house and folded her arms. "She talked a little today. She seemed willing to give the party a try." John sighed.

"I don't know. I used to think that way too. But after a while, I discovered I was only harming myself by getting my hopes up. What happened to Mari scarred her mentally and emotionally. I wish we could get her some help, but right now, we've got to stay hidden. Getting ourselves hauled off for murder won't help Mari at all." John looked up as the sound of tires grinding gravel grew nearer. A blue pickup pulled into the driveway next to the garden.

"Hey, did you remember to pick up the milk?" Emma called out to the driver as he stepped outside.

"Would you believe that they were out?" he replied in frustration, rolling his eyes. "I keep telling you guys, this place is a shithole. The general store is out of stock of nearly everything almost all day every day. The law "enforcement" is off stuffing their fat ass faces with doughnuts, and local the kids that hang around here are a bunch of good for nothing potheads! This place sucks."

"Don't forget you used to be a pothead," John retorted sternly, raising an eyebrow. "Small shithole towns are all we can manage right now. No one will recognize us here. It's our home, for now."

"Besides, Justin," Emma added, "you're like our family now. We need you and you need us. Where else would you have gone?" A half smile crept across Justin's black stubbled face, which had become more chiseled and distinguished throughout the years.

"You guys know I'm grateful for saving my ass.."

"Mari seemed to be a bit more responsive today," John told him, his serious tone completely gone. "Maybe you could go upstairs and see if you could get her to talk a little more?" Justin glanced up towards Mari's window. He caught a glimpse of her long, unkempt blonde hair that framed her pale face before she ducked away.

"I wouldn't push it," Justin cautioned. "If she's starting to talk more, don't force her into it. I know you guys are excited that she's seeming to get a little better, but don't overdo it." And with that, he tromped up the front steps and into the little two story house. He climbed the stairs but on the way to his room, he paused in front of Mari's door, which of course, was closed, and if Mari had her way, locked. Her parents had removed the locks on all the doors because they were secretly afraid Mari would try to commit suicide, again. The first few months after she'd been kidnapped had been Hell. And Justin still blamed himself.

Justin knew how Mari felt about him. He could see it whenever they locked eyes; how cold they were, as if they were saying "You did this to me". And she had every right to feel that way. After all, if Justin had never laid eyes on her and Paige at that little store by that stupid lake, none of this would ever had happened. It would've all been just a horrible nightmare, and they all would've woken up and gone on with their lives. Justin was the only one who had gained anything at all from meeting Mari's family. He had a family, a real one. His whole childhood, all he prayed for was for someone to love him, and now he had the Collingwoods. But he didn't want his wish if it meant that someone had to suffer for it to come true. Mari didn't deserve that.

"It couldn't hurt to just say hello," Justin murmured as he raised his knuckle to knock on the door. Gently, he let his hand tap the wood once, then fall. He couldn't. They'd lived together for 3 years, and he still couldn't face her. Instead, he trudged down the hall to his own room and slammed the door, furious with himself for creating a monster and not being man enough to destroy it.

Mari heard him. Huddled in the corner next to her window, she heard Justin stomp up the stairs and stop in front of her door. Mari wasn't the wounded little girl that everyone made her out to be. That was a disguise so that her true motives would remain concealed. Mari yearned to burst through the door and claw him. Her hatred for him gnawed at her heels like a demon. She had to have her revenge, and she would, she swore on her life.

For the first year after Mari's attack, she was a wreck; a spineless jellyfish, an empty shell of a human being. Suicide attempt after suicide attempt, nothing seemed to work. Her parents refused to leave her alone for a single second after they came across Mari huddled in the bathtub with no water in it, in the dark, wrists torn to shreds, with her own fingernails, since they knew better than to let Mari around razors, while she was hugging herself, rocking back and forth, and sobbing hysterically. Her mother was with her from dawn to dusk, even in the bathroom. After 6 months, Mari had had enough. For just once she needed to be alone with her thoughts, even if she wasn't trying to kill herself just then.

The thought occurred to her one night when she was falling asleep. Her life needed purpose. While it was true that she didn't want to live anymore, Mari figured she had better make use of her time left. On that night she hardened her heart and decided to inflict pain on someone, just as Krug had done to her. And who better than the son of Krug?

When she heard his footsteps again and his door slam shut, she cracked open her door and took a peek down the hall. Mari moved like a ghost down the wooden floor, gracefully, yet slowly. When she reached Justin's door, a sadistic grin crept across her face. If only he knew what she had in store for him. If only he knew.


	2. Glasgow Smile

**Chapter 2: Glasgow Smile **

**NOTE:** I kind of forgot about this, lol. I never check my email and I finally did and realized I had gobs of reviews begging me to write more so here, I guess. If you have ideas let me know because I have no freaking idea what to write next. I've been busy with dance team and stuff. We got invited to dance at Conseco Fieldhouse. Sorry for the wait. :(

Mari tiptoed down the dark hallway, knife in hand. Tonight was the night. Stopping outside Justin's room, she placed a ghostly pale hand on the door knob. The door creaked open as it would if this were a horror film. But this story you'd never see in the theaters. Mari's eyes pierced the darkness and located Justin asleep in his bed. As she crept closer, she noticed he was shirtless; his well toned muscles rippled in the moonlight. She removed a lock of raven hair from his brow.

"You look stunning," she murmured. Mari proceeded to raise the knife, then run it into the left side of Justin's face, just below his ear. He awoke immediately and let out a bone chilling cry of agony. Mari laughed murderously, then jerked the knife down to Justin's mouth and quickly repeated the cut beginning under Justin's right ear, finishing the Glasgow Smile. Justin's hands flew to his torn face in shock.

"You frown much too often…" Mari cooed at him. "You look so much sexier when you smile." She let out a cackle before raising the knife over his head and repeatedly stabbing him in the chest. Blood began to drench the room as Mari's sinister laughing echoed throughout the house.

Justin's eyes flung open. He sat up and looked around. Light was streaming in through the bedroom windows. He ran his hands over his chest and face; there were no wounds, and the Glasgow Smile was gone. It was never there. Breathing a sigh of relief, Mari's sadistic laughter found its way into his memory.

"Why the hell did I dream that?" Justin asked himself, rubbing his brow. What he found most odd was how seductive Dream Mari was. Throwing back the covers, he went to the mirror and took a look at himself. Dark shadows crossed the bottoms of his eyelids, and his stubble was beginning to look more beardlike. It was definitely time to shave. Justin threw on a shirt and jeans and progressed downstairs to the kitchen where Emma was frying eggs.

"Hi, Justin!" Emma smiled cheerfully at him as she spooned some eggs onto an empty plate. "Have some breakfast."

"Thanks." He took the seat next to John and across from Mari. But something was different about her. She looked… normal. Her blonde locks were brushed and pulled back into a loose ponytail and she was actually wearing jeans and a shirt instead of her ghostlike nightgown. She flashed a smile at him, identical to the one Dream Mari had before she began to brutally murder him. Justin's blood ran cold.

"Hello, Justin," Mari said sweetly with a hint of malice hidden behind her eyes.

"Mari's so much better!" Emma exclaimed as she momentarily stepped away from the stove to toss her daughter's hair. "I think going through with her birthday party is an excellent idea!"

"Birthday party?" Justin raised an eyebrow. He knew when Mari's birthday was, but they'd never had a party for her. None of them had a birthday party since they became fugitives.

"Mari's turning 19 soon," John stated without looking up from the newspaper. "It'll only be the four of us of course, but we can have a cake and other party stuff. Emma's in charge of that; I don't know much about parties."

"It'll be great! Just wait and see!" Emma wrapped her arms around Mari in excitement. Mari's eyes met Justin's.

"Yes, just wait and see," she told him.


	3. Beauty Never Lasts

**Chapter 3: Beauty Never Lasts**

**NOTE:** OK, so the last chapter was a little short. I just wanted to put out something else. So after this is finished it looks like my next Fanfic will be a super messed up version of Fern Gully because one of my friends threatened to beat me up if I didn't write it, lol.

After breakfast, Justin retreated to the lawn to do some yard work that Emma had requested. While his main place of employment was the local convenience store (which was incredibly ironic, as that was where he met Mari for the first time all those years ago), he helped out around the house on his days off. Under the circumstances that it was a blistering July morning and the Collingwoods had relocated to the Deep South (Georgia, to be more precise), Justin removed his t-shirt and threw it over a low hanging tree branch. A pair of teenage girls in Daisy Duke shorts and ponytails called out to him from the sidewalk.

"Hey there, Justin cutie! Can you spare a minute?" Justin knew the girls from the convenience store. The ginger worked there and her brunette friend stopped in frequently with all sorts of gossip about people in the town. She was reason number one the Collingwoods needed to keep a low profile.

"But what if Aunt Em's flowers die in all this heat?" Justin asked playfully. He had been masquerading as the Collingwoods' nephew.

"Oh don't be such a silly!" the brunette, Mae, told him in her adorable southern drawl. "Come over here! Annie and I have something real interesting to tell you!" Justin smiled then proceeded to the waist high fence that surrounded the yard where Mae and Annie waited on the other side.

"Now what's so important that you need to keep me from my work?" he asked with a wink.

"There's going to be a party this Saturday!" Annie exclaimed excitedly. "And Mae and I want you to come!"

"Like a good ole fashioned hoe down?" Justin inquired, feigning a Georgian accent.

"No silly!" Annie tapped him playfully on the forehead. "Like a beer drinking, pot smoking hoe down!" Justin remembered his drinking/drug days very well. And the last time he touched a joint was the one he shared with Paige, who was murdered by his father later that night. He couldn't touch the stuff. It brought back too many memories. However, if Justin wanted to blend in, he needed to act like the other local teens and join in their fun. He could show up and drink a little, but the marijuana he refused to smoke.

"All right, girls, count me in. I'll need details."

"My barn. Eleven. It'll be a real good time," Mae said flirtatiously.

"Gotta go," Annie added as she blew a kiss. "Work calls." And with that, the two southern belles strutted off. Justin returned to his work. In reality, he wasn't very interested in either girl, no matter how much he allowed them to flirt with them or how much he flirted back. What it came down to was the fact that they were girls. Both were probably 17 or 18, not much younger than Justin, but he had lived through far more Hell than they would ever encounter, combined. And because of that, Justin was a man. Real men don't settle for girls.

Mari watched this whole scene from her bedroom window.

"What sluts," she said to herself. She continued watching after Tramp 1 and Tramp 2 flitted down the street. "Back to the whorehouse with you!"

She watched as Justin retrieved the garden house and began watering her mother's flowers along the fence posts. She admired his delicious dark hair and tan muscles that began to glisten with sweat under the sizzling summer sun. As much as Mari hated to admit it, she was in love with Justin. And that is why he had to die. On top of wanting revenge on Justin's father, Mari also couldn't stand to feel so amorously about someone she was supposed to, no, MUST hate. As a result, she planned to kill him. She just hadn't figured out how that was going to happen.

The rest of the day came and went and soon enough the sky became dark as the sun went to bed and the moon and stars came out to dance and play. Justin and the Collingwoods retired to their rooms for the night; however, John and Emma were the only ones who slept. Mari knew something was afoot the minute she saw the Bimbo Bitches come traipsing up the sidewalk like a couple of empty headed skanks. Mari thought that maybe if they spent less time on their back that they might have time for a decent education and maybe improve their chances in the real world.

Mari watched from her window as Justin opened his bedroom window, crept onto the roof, and shut it behind him, leaving it slightly cracked so he could come back in when he returned. As soon as he carefully climbed onto the tree branches that hung next to the roof and made his way down and across the lawn and onto the sidewalk, Mari followed suit. She dressed in her nightgown only as a show for her parents. They minute they went to bed she shrouded herself mostly in black so that she may hide in the cover of night. Mari was mindful to stay a great distance behind Justin. He was far more observant than the average 19 year old male and would surely notice her if she wasn't careful. She followed him for a good long while, until they were out of town and in the country, and to a house with a barn behind it. It belonged to one of the whores, no doubt about it. Mari watched Justin enter the barn. She sneaked up to it and discovered a hole in the wood to peer through.

Meanwhile, Justin had just arrived at the party. Well, "party." It wasn't supposed to be happening so there was no loud music, no fancy lights, nothing very party oriented. All that was there was about three girls and two guys, not including Justin, sitting around smoking pot and guzzling their parents' pilfered beer.

"Justin honey!" Mae greeted him with a kiss on the cheek. "You're just in time. And I've got someone I'd like you to meet… Hey Liberty, come on over here!" The other girl who was sitting next to Annie rose from her seat on a hay bale and came to meet Justin.

"Hi, I'm Liberty," she introduced herself, flashing two rows of gorgeous teeth.

Justin's eyes quickly scanned over Liberty's body from top to bottom. Her hair was wavy but not curly and as yellow as the sun at high noon. Liberty's eyes were mysteriously colored a medium violet, a shade Justin had never seen before. Her skin tone was normal for a girl of the south, lightly tanned, which nicely complimented her hair. She bore a light pink button up jacket with sleeves that stopped at her lovely little elbows with a white camisole underneath. A pair of long, thin legs sprouted down from a pair of faded jean shorts. Liberty was beautiful.

"Do you speak?" Liberty asked with a smile. She was used to her beauty stunning men into silence. Justin, who was usually not swayed by appearances, snapped his eyes back up to meet hers.

"Yeah, sorry. I'm Justin. Carter." The Collingwoods and Justin had assumed the alias "Carter" to make it more difficult to be tracked down.

"He's just a little shy," Annie added, jumping up to join her friends. "Come on, Justin, have some fun with us."

Mari knew the blonde bimbo was up to no good. You can never trust a girl whose boobs are about to bust out of their top. She watched as Justin took a seat beside Liberty and introduced himself to the two other males in the room, no doubt the bed buddies of the other two trashy wenches. About an hour went by and each teenager became tipsy, then drunk. The whole thing made Mari sick to watch, and she was almost sorry she came, especially when Liberty began to rub her hand up and down Justin's thigh.

"What do you say we take a little walk?" Justin whispered into Liberty's ear. She smiled and nodded. 

"We'll be right back, you guys!" She grabbed his hand and the two raced out of the barn. Mari crouched down, hoping to remain unseen. Not that it mattered if they did see her; they were too drunk to make anything of it.

"Come here you sexy thing," Liberty cooed in her southern twang as she pushed Justin up against the barn wall and began to suck his neck. Mari was lying flat on the ground merely ten feet from where this disgusting act of affection was taking place. He dipped a hand inside her blouse, which made her squeal in pleasure. Mari couldn't look. She buried her head in her hands and was forced to listen as the acts got more and more sexual. After five minutes or so, she was sure they were having sex. Liberty's moans mixed with Justin's grunting noises made it too obvious. But of course, Mari wouldn't look. She couldn't. She'd kill both of them with her bare hands. After a few minutes more, the noises stopped and were replaced by panting and the sound of a zipper going up. The sexual escapade was over. It wasn't until Mari was sure that they were back in the barn that she peered back through the hole in the wood.

A few more hours went by, and the teens began to sober up a little for they had run out of alcohol. Justin was the first to leave.

"Well guys, it's been fun but I've gotta go."

"Oh please don't leave!" Liberty pouted as she pulled on his arm. "We've had so much fun!"

"I'll see you again, don't worry." He kissed her gently on the lips then exited the barn. Mari watched him go, but she didn't follow him home. She had other things to take care of. The other boys left after a while, leaving the three girls.

"You should go home, Annie," Liberty said after a while. "You have to work tomorrow and Mae and I have to spend some quality cousin time together. I'll only be in Georgia for a few more days and then its home to Alabama. Besides, I need my sleep. I've got some more things I'd like to do before I go home and I'll never get them done if I sleep the day away."

"Oh, like fuck Justin," Annie mocked her jokingly. Liberty's face turned scarlet.

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Oh hush, you. We could here you two when you 'went for a walk,'" Mae said as she tossed her hair.

"Well you two can sit out here all night if you want to, I'm going to bed! I don't need to put up with this." And with that, Liberty turned and walked out of the barn. Mari saw her chance.

With the mad ferocity of a mountain lion, Mari dashed and leaped at Liberty, knocking her to the ground. Temporarily dazed, Liberty did not even call out for help. Before her victim could realize what was going on, Mari picked up a decently sized rock from nearby and hit Liberty over the head with it, rendering her unconscious. She then proceeded to sit on top of the girl, straddling her.

"Why do girls have to be such sluts?" Mari asked to no one in particular as she withdrew the pocket knife from her pocket she'd stolen from Justin's room. She'd brought it along for protection purposes, but it was not Mari who needed protecting. As it happened in Justin's dream, Mari began to carve the Glasgow Smile into Liberty's face, ruining it forever.

"You aren't so pretty now, are you?" Mari knew she'd have to work fast, for Mae and Annie would soon emerge from the barn. If she'd had more time, Mari would've gotten more creative with her murder, but instead, she slashed Liberty's jugular and allowed her to bleed out. As soon as she was done, Mari rose and took off running toward home. She had just gotten out of sight when she heard the screams of Liberty's friends uncovering her disfigured body.


	4. Unmasked

**Chapter 4: Unmasked**

**NOTE:** OK so hopefully this gets a few more positive reviews than chapter 3. Once again, my apologies. Hopefully I'll be writing a lot over the next few days because I really don't have much to do. But my dance team performs at Conseco Fieldhouse on Wednesday. YAY! :)

The news was all around town by the next morning. A young girl had been brutally slain outside her cousin's barn. The story was on the front page of the local paper with a horrific picture of the body, which was normally uncommon for newspapers to do, but an exception was made in this case, partially for shock value, partially for the town to realize how serious the situation actually was. The article said that the police had no leads. This may sound completely idiotic considering that Liberty had hooked up with a guy at the party and he would, in any other situation, be the first one that the police would question. However, given the fact that the gathering was in Mae's barn, and she was definitely not supposed to be having a party, or smoking pot, or having a few beers, which were stolen from her father's fridge, Mae had made Annie help her in getting rid of the illegal substances, sent Annie home, and fabricated a story about how she and Liberty were in bed and Liberty decided to go out for a midnight stroll. To any other police department, this would probably sound completely fictionalized. However, since this was a small town where everyone knew each other, the police department decided to give Mae the benefit of the doubt and rule that a homicidal maniac was on the loose. If only this was the department that had been involved in the Amanda Knox investigation.

Of course Mari could never be a suspect; no one outside the Collingwood family knew that she existed. They rarely had guests over, and when they did, Mari always stayed upstairs in her room. She was a phantom amongst the shadows.

Justin found out about his deceased date when he arrived to work that morning. Annie was there before him, completely shaken up.

"What the hell happened to you?" he asked sarcastically. She turned to him, eyes welled up with tears, and he realized that something really was wrong. "Hey, hey, I was kidding, what happened?"

"Liberty's dead!" Annie pointed a shaking hand at the newspaper stand. Justin's brow furrowed as he picked one up. He felt his face grow pale as he gazed upon the photograph of his one night stand; the Glasgow Smile torn across her face. Just like in his dream.

"When the hell did this happen?" Justin turned to Annie.

"We… We don't know! It was long after…" she lowered her voice, "long after you and the other guys left. Liberty wanted to go inside but Mae and I stayed behind. We followed only about five minutes later. And… that's when we found her. She was just lying there…" Annie choked down a sob. "Mae didn't want the cops to know what was going on in the barn or we'd all get busted so she told the police that she and Liberty were in bed and Liberty went out for a walk. They believed her. No one knows that you guys were there. We know you guys didn't do it."

They didn't know him, not really anyway. For all they knew, Justin could've done it. After all, he was the son of a murderer. Appearances can be so deceiving.

Meanwhile at the Collingwoods, Mari lay in bed staring up at the ceiling with Justin's bloody pocket knife under her pillow and was contemplating what to do with it. She could bury it of course, but her parents would be extremely suspicious if they found her digging up the yard. What else could she do but clean it and return it?

Her mother was a tad less cautious of her now that Mari had begun to behave like a functioning member of society, so when an opportunity arose, Mari snuck off to the bathroom and began to clean the knife. She had to scrub a little since Liberty's blood had dried upon the blade. A smile crept across Mari's face as she recalled her little art project on Liberty's body.

"Women like that just don't deserve to live."

After thoroughly cleaning the pocket knife, Mari put it back where she had found it inside Justin's bedroom. He never even knew it was missing.

"Mari, try these cake samples and tell me which you like best," Emma put two slices in front of her daughter the next night after dinner. "Your birthday is three days away and I have no idea what kind of cake to make for you."

"I'm sure either will be fine," Mari told her, taking a very miniscule bite of each. "But if I have to choose, I pick the vanilla." 

"You're not going to eat the rest?" John asked. Mari shook her head. "Well in that case, dibs. Want any Justin?" John asked as he pulled both pieces in front of him. Justin, who had been scrutinizing Mari, shifted his eyes to John.

"No thanks, I'm full."

"Wow, your loss!" John and Emma began to engage in trivial conversation while Justin's gaze returned to Mari. Day by day she seemed to be getting better, but still he could not help but feel that something was dangerously wrong. As if on cue, Mari's eyes met his, as if confirming all his suspicions. Time stood still as the two locked eyes in a perpetual dance, as if the one knew precisely what the other was contemplating. The corner of Mari's mouth turned up ever so slightly in that sick, sadistic way of hers, the way everyone but Justin was blind to.

"I think I'm going to do some reading in my room," Mari broke the lock between herself and Justin.

"All right sweetheart! I'm so glad you're doing better," Emma hugged her. Justin's eyes trailed after Mari as she departed from the kitchen. He waited only moments before following her, as the remaining Collingwoods once again resumed their idle chatter. He cornered her right outside her bedroom, careful not to physically touch her, for fear that she'd scream.

"What the hell have you done?" Justin inquired in a low growl.

"Why my dear Justin," Mari smiled innocently, "I have no idea what you mean." Anger began to boil inside of him as he threw Mari against the wall, holding her in place with one hand, the other clapped over her mouth.

"Don't fuck with me," he told her. "I know you, the real you, not the whiny bitch that everyone else thinks you are. I know what you're capable of and I know how sick and twisted you are. I don't know what you did, or even if you've even done anything yet, but you're definitely planning something and I'm going to put a stop to it." Sensing that she wouldn't scream, Justin lowered his palm, still mindful of holding her to the wall.

"Oh Justin, you think you're so clever," Mari purred at him. "But really, who is going to believe you? If I cried out for help right now, Mom and Dad would run up here and see you and I like this… And what would they think?" Knowing she was right, Justin released her. She slipped victoriously into her bedroom.

"You're not going to get away with this. I'll stop you before someone seriously gets hurt." An eerie chuckle escaped Mari's throat.

"Someone already has."


	5. Satisfaction

**Chapter 5: Satisfaction**

**NOTE:** Sorry it's been so long. Dance and junior year in high school have taken over my life. Mini update of my life: I have straight A's and my dance team made a music video that won a contest and we won $200! :D And we got to dance at Lucas Oil Stadium (That's where the Indianapolis Colts play if you were unaware). Also my high school football team is undefeated (7-0). It's a pretty good year.

Justin lay awake that night thinking of Mari's sinister departing message. Who could she have been alluding to? The only person that came to mind was Liberty but… It couldn't be, could it?

The next morning, Justin came to breakfast dressed in funeral attire.

"Liberty's funeral is today. I thought I'd go pay my respects."

"Was that the girl they found all chopped up in someone's barnyard?" John asked nonchalantly between sips of coffee. "How'd you meet her?"

"I didn't. She was the cousin of an acquaintance of mine." Justin lied. "I thought Mari might like to come with me to the funeral." The kitchen grew quiet. Even Mari stared back at him in surprise.

"No one knows that Mari is here," Emma said. "How would you explain her?"

"Easy. Everyone thinks that I'm your nephew. We can say that Mari is my sister and she's studying abroad but stopped by for a few days. Besides, Mari's been cooped up here so long, I think it'd be a good idea for her to get out and socialize."

"Mari's condition has improved… John, what do you think?" Emma's husband glanced at their daughter.

"I think it'd be a fine idea. It's a little morbid to think that her first social outing is a funeral, but socialization could do wonders." Mari wanted to protest but she couldn't think of a good enough reason for not wanting to go, especially when her parents were so for it.

An hour later, Mari was sitting in the passenger's side of Justin's truck dawning a lovely little black dress that she had borrowed from Emma. Much to Mari's dismay, Emma had also done her makeup. It'd been years since she'd worn makeup. Justin climbed in the driver's seat beside her and gave a quick glance. She was actually, well, sort of pretty.

"Don't you clean up nice?" he asked sarcastically. She stuck her tongue out at him childishly. It was a rather innocent display for two very not innocent people.

"What the hell were you thinking? You knew I wouldn't want to go to some whore's funeral." Mari spat her words out like poison. Justin raised an eyebrow as he backed out of the driveway.

"What makes you think she was a whore? You didn't even know her."

"I'm a good guesser." The two drove along the lonely country road in silence for several minutes before Justin pulled the truck to the side of the road.

"You killed her, didn't you?" An eerie smile crept across Mari's face.

"I think you already know the answer to that."


	6. Fatal Attraction

**Chapter 6: Fatal Attraction**

**NOTE:** Yeah, so I know the last chapter was kinda short. Think of it as an appetizer, lol. I have no idea where this story is going; it just comes as I go along. PS: This chapter has a lot of language so if you're just going to get offended and complain don't read it.

Justin angrily gripped the steering wheel.

"You psychotic bitch!" he hotly muttered.

"What's the matter? You don't want to miss the funeral do you?" Mari inquired as if nothing had happened.

"This wouldn't have even happened if it weren't for you!" Justin turned to her furiously. "Everything is always your fucking fault! We're in hiding because of you; all anyone ever cares about is you! It's always about you! I don't know what your fucking problem is. Of all people, you should know how wrong it is to murder. You watched your best friend die right in front of you, yet here you are, years later, guilty of a murder, and for no good reason!" Mari's eyes widened in shock; she hadn't anticipated this kind of reaction from him.

"In case you've forgotten," she retorted as she threw open the passenger door, "We're in hiding because your father was a fucking cunt."

Mari slid out the door, slamming it behind her, and disappeared in the tall emerald cornstalks that surrounded the road. Justin sat there in silence and gathered his thoughts. While it was true that he was angry with Mari for murdering Liberty for no apparent cause, he was also mad at himself for blaming things on her that she had no control over. After all, it was Justin's father who had kidnapped Mari, murdered her best friend, raped her, and traumatized her for life. When Mari's parents killed Krug and his friends, it was purely out of revenge. Mari hadn't laid a hand on any of them herself. Maybe he'd been a little short with her, but she did commit a murder. Justin knew he couldn't turn her in. He probably wouldn't even have to tell the Collingwoods. John would want to pick up and move before the police started sniffing around about a murder investigation. They couldn't risk the cops finding anything about their past. Putting his moral dilemmas aside, Justin decided to attend the funeral, merely for a brief amount of time, to keep up appearances. Mari could find her own way home, and he was in no mood to go looking for her.

Meanwhile, Mari hadn't gone as far as Justin had thought she did. In fact, she was only four rows back, peering at him from the confines of the cornstalks. She wasn't really expecting him to come after her, but she was utterly shocked when he hit the gas and drove away, leaving her to fend for herself. When he was gone, she emerged from the rows and stood in the middle of the road, contemplating her next move. Mari was hurt by Justin's accusations, yet in her heart she knew they were true. Secretly, she had been blaming herself for her family's misfortune. However, Justin's words only made her want to kill him sooner.

"Stupid jerk. Should've killed him weeks ago," Mari muttered through angry tears as she turned and headed for home.

The funeral was very mundane, and Justin was beginning to wish he had went after Mari instead of going. On top of that, it was quite uncomfortable to hear people whisper and wonder about who Liberty's murderer was when Justin was the only one who knew. On the drive home, it occurred to him that if he showed up without Mari, the Collingwoods would wonder what had happened, and Justin would have to explain their fight, or at least come up with a pretty damn good excuse. Fortunately, that situated was avoided when he passed Mari lingering on the sidewalk a few houses down from home.

"Couldn't go home?" Justin asked monotonically as he opened the door for her. A crimson hue came across her cheeks.

"Didn't feel like explaining anything." He didn't blame her for not wanting to go home without him, but he was still furious with her over Liberty's murder. The minute Justin and Mari stepped in the door of the Collingwood's home, they were bombarded with questions.

"What was the service like?"

"Did you meet any people?"

"No one asked too many questions, did they?"

"Did you have fun?" Emma asked.

"It wasn't supposed to be fun, it was a funeral," Justin told her.

"The girl who died was fairly young, wasn't she?" John asked. "How exactly did she die?"

"She was murdered," Mari murmured. The tension in the air grew thick.

"Murdered?" Emma's face grew pale. "We'll have to leave, we have no other choice. The police will be conduction an investigation and they could uncover something about us."

"We'll have to be discreet," John chimed in. "If we suddenly uproot and move for no apparent reason, we'll look suspicious. We have to devise a plan."

Mari and Justin were dismissed to their rooms as John and Emma sat in the kitchen discussing their next move. Justin placed a hand on Mari's shoulder as she prepared to enter her room.

"You and I need to talk."

She followed him into his room and he closed the door behind them.

"Well, what do you want?" Mari asked defensively, arms crossed.

"Why did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"You know what." The pair stood in silence for a moment, eyes locked.

"She deserved to die," Mari answered nonchalantly. Justin stared at her in disbelief. Rage suddenly overtook him and he rushed at her, slamming her into the wall.

"No one deserves to be murdered," he growled at her through clenched teeth. "You watched your best friend get brutally slaughtered and this is how you repay her, by killing others! You, Mari Collingwood, are a waste of space." He released her.

"She was a whore. I'm surprised you couldn't see it. Or maybe you were too drunk to care," she snarled back at him.

"You followed me."

"No duh, Sherlock. How else do you think I got to her? Did you think I just happened to be out for a stroll and decided to jump her? Of course I followed you."

"But why?"

"Why not?"

Justin released long groan of aggravation as he ran his fingers through his hair and through himself on the bed, facing the ceiling.

"You don't make any fucking sense. You are one messed up bitch." Mari walked to the bed and laid herself on top of Justin, who was very surprised by this action. She leaned down and whispered into his ear,

"You have no idea."


End file.
